After a nice dinner in the castle, I sat in my room with Yumi and Mother—a painting of a black and purple butterfly sat before me. I had so much more practice to do if I wanted to be a master painter. Still, the painting was more excellent than anything I'd been able to draw previously. It was even more detailed than the others, even if it was a simple insect.

I focused my mana from my core to my paintbrush while my two spectators waited. I heard a gentle droplet sound on the bristles when I closed my eyes. It was like my mana had graced the tip with a paint element. 

Not wanting to break focus, I visualized the mana flowing from the brush into the canvas. When I had the image I wanted, I gently tapped the butterfly with the bristles and opened my eyes. 

The butterfly flapped its wings, took off from the canvas, and landed on my finger. 

I gasped in awe. The insect merely stood at my fingertip on its tiny legs, looking exactly the same as my painting before. Only that now it was three-dimensional. I pet it with a finger from my other hand and smiled. 

"Well done, Little Princess!" Yumi clapped. 

Mother put her hand on my head and looked closer at the butterfly from over my shoulder. "It seems like you are still charging it with mana. What will it do now?" She asked.

I grinned. Mother was right. My mana still flowed into the paint creature and sustained it. It was all I could do to keep it alive in a metaphorical sense. However, maintaining that steady flow began to tire me out. I knew my mana reserves wouldn't last much longer like this. 

With that thought in mind, I directed it back to the canvas, and the butterfly heeded my command. It flew straight into the sheet and stuck there as my spell ended, the painting now depicting the butterfly at a different angle. 

My mother planted a kiss on my forehead when I turned around. "That was a fascinating display of magic, dear."

I blushed at her earnest praise. "It's still not as good as you or Yumi!"

"It's even better in some ways," Mother said. "Also, dear, comparing yourself to people with more experience is unwise. Compare yourself only to your past self. Remember that little girl who couldn't use magic?" 

"Y-yes."

"Well, now that little girl is in front of me, turning a butterfly painting into something tangible."

My mouth went agape again. How could she be so wise? To have so much knowledge without modern sources was an undeniable show of wisdom. I hugged her tightly, for Mother was right. I had undoubtedly gained so much since that time. Even the demon training that I'd been hesitant to think about had given to me. All of it was thanks to a loving new family and a fluffy maid. 

I ran over to Yumi and hugged her as well. Calling her just a fluffy maid wasn't proper either. She was family, too.

"Little princess," Yumi said and hugged me back. "You are growing so much."

"It's because I have had you to look out for me."

She squeezed me until my excitement could finally calm down. 

"Ehem," Mother said after a while. "While I also love to squeeze my cute little En, we haven't even gotten to the lesson."

"Lesson?" I asked.

"Fufufu, don't you remember, dear? You wanted to learn something."

I nodded my head and remembered what was said during our outing. She promised to teach me even more about magic. 

"I will start with your strengths. You are good at visualization, so the spells come easy to you," Mother said. Looking at her explain like this was like watching a beautiful college professor. "Your other strength is your ability to pick up new things quickly."

"Really?" I asked with a smile.

"Yep," she said and patted me. "You were quickly able to pick up painting. Most would take much longer to make detailed artwork at your age. And as a mother, I am so proud."

"Hehe."

"However, you also have some weaknesses. Your mana control is lacking. You cannot keep up barriers or spells for long with poor control."

It made sense. Holding up that spell for a while would have been tiresome. I looked back up at Mother. "Is there a way to fix it?"

"Well, that is what I have been doing. It was the goal when I had you maintain those barriers before. Your mana control is sufficient for most magics, but this spell seems incredibly complex."

I nodded before Yumi chimed in. "By the way, Little Princess, have you thought of a name for the spell?"

Shaking my head, I realized that it never occurred to me to think of the spell's name. I placed my hand on my head in a thinking pose before Mother poked my cheek.

"You don't have to take it so seriously. She was asking because many spells do have names. Anyway, you have plenty of time to think about it. Centuries, if you must."

I almost bit my lip with my fang when she finished. Sometimes, it was easy to forget that I wasn't human anymore, especially given I had walked outside during the daylight with my mother. As if to remind me of my disposition, Yumi offered a glass of blood from her inventory. 

Of course, I happily accepted it and sipped the blood from the chalice—consistently a bit large for my small hands. After finishing the chalice off, I felt newly invigorated. 

"Now, then, let us start again with barrier training," Mother said and grinned. 

I groaned and pleaded with her as I grabbed onto her robes. "Not the one where you poke me!"

"Fufu, while it is fun to tease you, this will be different. I want you to create a barrier and block magic this time."

I nodded and stood further away from her. I am sure there was a ferocity in my eyes. After all, magic was everything I dreamed of. Even if I had to start from barriers, I would master paint magic!

"Ara, ara, aren't you just the most fired up?" She asked. "Well, get ready!" 

I did what she said and brought my thin barrier up before she launched a small glob of magic. I couldn't really see it, but I could sense it flying through the air. I felt the impact against my magic shield. 

While I smiled in smug satisfaction, she instantly launched another. It was stronger this time, and I struggled to keep the barrier from disintegrating. This happened repeatedly until Mother tired me out. 

She kept launching them even when I begged for a pause. Mother didn't stop until I was so exhausted I had to lie down. In reality, I think she did that just so she could hold me like a tired baby as I fell asleep in her arms.